came a revolutionary. No arrests have been made until now. What is to become of my prestige? Now that I have made an arrest, you try to block me. It won't do. This is within my jurisdiction." The graduate had been greatly embarrassed but he stood his ground and threatened to resign his chairmanship of the citizens' revolutionary committee if the prisoner was not spared for the moment, so that he could lead to the recovery of the loot. At this the captain had only retorted, "Do as you like." As a result His Honor could not sleep that night. However, he did not resign the next day.
On the morning following His Honor's sleepless night Ah Q was again taken out through the grilled door. In the great hall the oldish man with the clean-shaven head sat as before and as before Ah Q knelt down.
"Have you anything more to say?" the oldish man asked benignantly.
Ah Q thought for a moment, found nothing to say, and so answered very candidly, "Nothing."
Thereupon personages in long gowns and others in short coats put a white vest on him, on which were written some characters. Ah Q was distressed by this, for white was the color of mourning and mourning was an unlucky thing. His hands were tied behind his back and he was taken out of the yamen.
Ah Q was then hoisted into an open cart, several short-coated personages sat down beside him, and the cart immediately started, preceded by a squad of soldiers and militiamen carrying foreign guns, flanked by numerous open-mouthed spectators, and brought up in the rear by—but Ah Q could not see that.
Suddenly the realization came upon him: was he not going to have his head cut off? His eyes went blank, his ears
